Network cabling for a New York restaurant means one tested, labeled cable from each register, printer, card reader, kitchen screen and access point back to the closet, pulled before the walls and ceilings close. ClearMax technicians run it, test it and leave the map.
Last updated: November 2026
Which devices get their own cable
- Each register or terminal at the counter, the bar and the host stand.
- Receipt printers and the kitchen printers on the line.
- Kitchen screens at the pass and at each station.
- Ceiling access points, the cameras and the door controllers.
- The back-office computer and the menu boards.
What the POS vendor expects to find
Vendor guides set the floor. Toast's guide says a single Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable must run from each piece of hardware to the internet modem or demarc. It also says Toast will not complete the install if the Ethernet cables are less than 100MB (Cat5e). Each cable is to be labeled with a matching identifier on each end. Cat 6 is the usual choice on a new build, with slack left at both ends for the counter that moves six inches.
Guest WiFi, staff tablets and the payment network
Access points are placed for the dining room, the patio and the kitchen, where steel and walk-in boxes block signal. Guests get their own network. Where the POS cannot sit on separate hardware, Toast's network requirements say a VLAN should be set up for the POS network, separate from all other traffic. The switch ports on it are marked, so a new hire never plugs a laptop into the payment side.
Power, permits and the schedule
Terminals want clean outlets. Toast advises against plugging terminals into outlets shared with microwaves, refrigerators or blenders. New circuits for the closet are electrical work: the NYC Department of Buildings says an electrical permit is required for most electrical work in a business. That filing goes on the schedule early.
Cameras ride on the same switch; see restaurant security cameras, or go back to the full buildout.